Backlash: Jewish group disinvites Mike Huckabee over his transphobic comments, Duggar support

The fallout over Mike Huckabee’s transphobic and creepy joke about wishing he could have identified as female in high school so he could sneak into the girls’ shower to ogle them is probably wider than he anticipated.

In response to the comment made in February at the National Religious Broadcaster Convention, Huckabee was booted last week from the Canadian Jewish National Fund speakers list, the Advocate reports. Huckabee was scheduled as keynote speaker for the Fund’s annual Negev Dinner in October.

The dinner this year is a fundraising function for autism research in Israel.

In a tight-lipped explanation of the cancellation, Josh Cooper, CEO of JNF, said in a statement to the Canadian Jewish News that “the media spotlight has recently focused on Mr. Huckabee’s comments about issues that bear no relevance to JNF or autism.”

Huckabee’s invitation had garnered harsh criticism from members of the Jewish LGBTQ community, who also objected to his public support of the Duggar family, whose eldest son Josh admitted to molesting his underage sisters.

A petition that gathered 31 signatures asked the JNF to cancel Huckabee because, “Recent comments by Mr. Huckabee, as reported in the media around the world, show him to spread degrading hatefulness towards and about transgender people. He has also publicly supported Josh Duggar, who admitted to allegations that he molested multiple underage girls, including his sisters.”